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The time we’re living in right now has recently been called The Great Pause. This is exactly the way that I’m experiencing it. The idea that we are all in a stand still feels very appropriate. We are taking control for the things that we can, and completely loosening the reins on everything else that we cannot.
Before all of this, it felt like we were on the busy, over scheduled and disconnected treadmill going at a very fast pace. It now feels like someone grabbed the emergency stop button and pulled it for us. Some of us have fallen on our face, some of us have chosen to stand on the treadmill and wait for it to turn on again while staring at the screens, some of us have chosen a different machine, and some of us have walked right out of the gym.
Our factory settings have been restored. All of the fandangled, and complicated doesn’t seem to be there. We have gone back to basics. We all know and feel that it is an unprecedented time of pullback, hunkering down and staying physically distant for our safety and for those around us.
Yet another phone metaphor- We are on airplane mode right now. As you know when you have airplane mode enabled, it blocks your connection to cellular networks. You’re not able to do the regular things like phone calls, text messages, FaceTime, anything that requires an Internet connection.
When we get out of this Pause that we are collectively in, and we flood our lives with what we “used to do”, I want you to remember what it felt like to be on airplane mode.
I want you to learn to choose to actively put yourself on airplane mode. Why? Because 1. It saves the battery life of your phone, it helps you keep your soul from dipping into reserves. 2. You aren’t as drained and you’ll recharge faster! You won’t be playing catch-up with your energy, sleep, connection, family time, and self-care. 3. You can actively disconnect. You can bow out and actively choose to put yourself on airplane mode because you remember what it felt like to not be as distracted with all of the notifications.
I want you to think deeply about what you want to fold back into your life. It’s reminiscent of one of those elimination diets where you take out wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, etc. and at the end of a certain amount of time you gently and gingerly re-introduce different things back into your diet to see which ones you react to and assess for tolerance. It’s a way to see clearly what truly affects you. What do you want to “re-introduce” and what you want to eliminate for good.
It will be our new normal and like Phoenixes, we will emerge from the Great Pause with a much keener view of how we want to truly BE in the short stint that is our life. For me, I will continue to be patient and present. I will accept what is out of my control and live with the peace that such radical acceptance brings. You?
